Brown County Fair Parade of Champions

Area youngsters show off award-winning livestock at fair on Sunday

Area youngsters show off award-winning livestock at fair on Sunday

August 22, 2008|By Jackie Burke Grumish, jburke@aberdeennews.com

The parade of champions is the end goal for all Brown County Fair showmen. On Aug.17, the champions paraded their animals through the Expo Addition for fairgoers to see. Any show champion will tell you appearance is everything - even when it comes to pigs, said Layne Howard, 13, of Groton. The reserve champion and reserve showman junior said he's responsible for washing and feeding his pigs. These particular champion pigs were bought from a family friend, but the Howards sometimes raise their pigs, he said. Raising the pigs takes more work than training them, he said. That's because of the feeding schedule. The pigs start on a special feed that changes as they grow, he said. Switching from feed to feed takes knowledge and responsibility, he said. Muscle mass and coat smoothness are the big factors when determining the champion Angus heifer, said Drew Dennert, 12, of Columbia The champion's daily routine consists of strapping a halter to the heifer, washing it and putting it in an air-conditioned barn. Dennert said the bath and air-conditioning routine forces the heifer's hair to grow faster and thus give it a smoother look, he said. "I have to do that almost every day," he said. "Unless it's cool outside." Breeding heifers and steers takes a similar amount of work, said Emma Schaunaman, who took home several titles: 4-H market gilt show, open youth show market gilt, reserve overall breeding heifer, grand and reserve breeding heifer and grand champion steer. The 18-year-old Aberdonian was also crowned champion of the senior show. Daily duties for her cattle include hair care, rinsing them twice a day and proper feeding, she said. "I love the competition of it," Schaunaman said of showing her animals. "It's something my dad and I can do together." The Aberdonian works for her dad, Kirk Schaunaman, which is perfect for her show schedule, she said. "You can't have a real job if you want to show competitively," she said.